Strong typhoon prompts more evacuations in Philippines, the fifth major storm to hit in three weeks

MANILA, Philippines -- The fifth major storm in three weeks slammed into the northeastern Philippines on Thursday, prompting more largescale evacuations and a United Nations call for emergency funds to help the government address the plight of hard-hit rural villagers.

Typhoon Usagi had sustained winds of up to 175 kilometers (109 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 240 kph (149 mph) when it slammed into the coastal town of Baggao in Cagayan province at the northern tip of Luzon, the country’s most populous agricultural region. Locally named Ofel, the typhoon was barreling northwestward and was forecast to blow away overnight toward southern Taiwan.

Another storm was brewing in the Pacific and may hit the northern Philippines this weekend, according to forecasters.

The country's weather agency warned of life-threatening tidal surges of more than 3 meters (nearly 10 feet) in coastal areas of Cagayan and seven other nearby provinces and clusters of islands, and urged all ships to remain in port or immediately take shelter.

Typhoon Toraji blew away from the northern Philippines just two days ago after unleashing floods, knocking down power lines and forcing more than 82,500 people to evacuate their homes.

The government has struggled to deal with the impact of the last four major storms, which left at least 160 people dead, displaced millions and devastated farmland and infrastructure, mostly in the northern Luzon region.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration has spent more than 1 billion pesos ($17 million) for food and other aid for hundreds of thousands of storm victims, Welfare Assistant Secretary Irene Dumlao said.

Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro, who oversees disaster-response efforts, sought the help of neighboring countries, including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei, in providing additional aircraft to transport food, water and other aid to villages isolated by the storms. The United States, Manila’s longtime treaty ally, deployed cargo aircraft with food and other assistance.

The U.N. Humanitarian Country Team in the Philippines said it was raising $32.9 million to help the government provide assistance to about 210,000 people in critical need of aid and protection, especially women, children and people with disabilities, in the next three months.

“The Philippines is facing an exceptionally challenging tropical cyclone season, with successive cyclones reaching unprecedented locations and scales,” the U.N. team said in its emergency plan. “Local authorities, who are often impacted themselves, are overwhelmed as they simultaneously respond to the crisis and coordinate rescue efforts for affected families.”

The Philippines is battered by about 20 typhoons and tropical storms each year. It is often hit by earthquakes and has more than a dozen active volcanoes, making it one of the world’s most disaster-prone countries.

In 2013, Typhoon Haiyan, one of the strongest recorded tropical cyclones, left more than 7,300 people dead or missing, flattened entire villages and caused ships to run aground and smash into houses in the central Philippines.